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The paper details the use and potential of Google Earth as a tool for engaging with rural communities that had suffered severe flooding, as they seek to reduce the effects of future events by implementing Natural Flood Management (NFM) practices. Rob commented that “Geographical Information Systems (GIS) typically have numerous layers of complex information. These aren’t accessible to most people, just those familiar with specialist software, but by using Google Earth we were able to make the information much more accessible which built trust and increased engagement in the entire NFM process”.

Damian Maye is co-author on two articles both concerning Badger vaccination which have been written as a result of the social science study of the Badger Vaccination Deployment Project which ran from 2010-2015.

Earlier this week, a second paper authored by Damian was also accepted for publication in the journal ‘Vaccine’. This was also written with Gareth and Rhiannon, with further contributions from Lucy Brunton, Sara Downs and Christl Donnelly and is entitled ‘An Assessment of Risk Compensation and Spillover Behavioural Adaptions Associated with the use of Vaccines in Animal Disease Management’. The paper examines longitudinal data from the project and seeks to address gaps in the literature relating to farmers’ behavioural adaptations to vaccine use in the management of animal diseases.

Concerning these papers, Damian said “they are likely to be the last ones from the BVDP to be published. In total we have written ten articles, that I will pass on to Defra, as it will be an important resource for them in tackling Bovine TB.”